Collapsible tube reel



Dec. 12, 1933.

H. H. SMITH COLLAPSIBLE TUBE REEL IIIIl/ll/l/l/Il/l/lll/l/l/l/IIIIIINVEN Filed Sept. 14, 1932 y IL S M ATTORNEYS.

Patented "Dec. 12, 1933 1,939,575 UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

1,93% 7 COLLAPSIBLE TUBE REEL, HarryLH. Smith, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application September 14, 1932 Serial No. 633,165

6 Claims; (Cl. 221-60) This invention relates to collapsible tube reelsand has for an object to provide an improved construction wherein thecontents of a collapsible tube may be ejected by using one hand. Anotherobject of the invention is to provide an improved collapsible tube reelwherein the tube is normally held in operative position and may beactuated at any time for ejecting a small quantity or a large quantityof its contents, the tube being used as a lever during the operation ofdischarging the contents.

An additional object is to provide a collapsible tube reel wherein thetube is adapted to be wound on a shaft or arbor, the structure beingsuch that the tube acts as a lever to wind itself on the arborsubstantially at the time of the discharging action.

In the accompanying drawingj Figure 1 is a perspective View of acollapsible tube reel disclosing one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view through Figure 1 approximately on the line2 2;

Figure 3 is a detailed fragmentary elevation of one end of the device,the"same disclosing the mechanism pressing on the opposite side to thatshown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view through Figure 1, approximately on the line44;

Figure 5 is. a view similar to Figure 4 but showing thetub'e in avertical position' and the other parts in a corresponding position; andY Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing the tube'moveddownwardly sufficiently to cause an ejection of some of the contents ofthe tube.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals, 1 indicates a base ofany desired kind or shape, the same having a standard 2, also of anydesired kind or shape. On this standard is mounted a tubular structure 3which is open at the upper part, the'tubular wall 4 flaring at 5 andalso at the lower edge 6.

The tubular structure 3 is provided with discshapedend members 7 and 8which are secured by solder, weldingor otherwise to the wall 4 so astobe in effect integral therewith. Each of these end members is providedwith a centrally positioned aperture, said apertures accommodating aslotted shaft or arbor 9. The slot 10 in the arbor 9 is adapted toreceive the end of the tube 11 so that when the arbor 10 is rotated inone direction the tube will be collapsed and wound around the arbor.

A thumb member 12 is secured to one end of the arbor 9 so that it may berotated in either direction as desired. At the end opposite the "r-thumb member 12 a ratchet wheel 13 is rigidly secured to the arbor 9,said ratchet wheel coacting with a pawl 14 having acounterweight 15whereby the pawl automatically presses against the ratchet wheel 13 butpermits thev ratchet wheel to readily rotate in one direction. When itis desired to rotate the ratchet wheel and arbor in the-oppositedirection, the pawl 14 is desengaged from the ratchet wheel and helddisengaged either manually or by some other means until the desiredreverse rotation has been completed.

A rod 16 is-soldered, welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the disksor end plates 7 and 8 immediately above the flaring edge 6. On this rodthereis a loosely and rotatably mounted platform 17 which may be termeda compression platform. This platform is provided with a lug 18 adaptedto strike against the projection 19 carried by the flaring edge 6whereby the platform can be rotated to the left for a certain distance,namely, to the position shown in Figure 4 However, the platform mayrotate in an opposite direction to the position shown in dotted lines inFigure 6. A. spring 20 surrounds the shaft 16 within the hollowcompression platform. One end of the spring presses against part of theplatform and the other end, namely, the end 21 presses against the edge6, whereupon the compression platform is normally held in the positionshown in Figures 4 and 5. V

When the tube 11 is used as a handle and is forced downwardly, as shownin Figure 6, the compression platform 1'7 is also swung downwardlyagainst the action of the spring 20. As soon as the tube 11 is releasedthe spring 20 will force the tube and the compression platform to theposition shownin Figure 4. When pressed to the position shown in Figure6, the tube 11 is wound slightly on the arbor 9 as the arbor is heldstationary by the ratchet wheel 13 and the pawl 14. This winding of thetube and the pressure of the" tube against the compression platform 17will cause some of the contents to be ejected, as shown in Figure6, andif there is not a sufiicient quantity ejected the hand or fingers of theoperator are merely removed from the tube 11 and the tube and platformare moved up to the position shown in Figure 4 under the action ofspring 20. The tube is then again depressed so that a second supply will.be discharged. This action may be carried out as many times as isdesired and in depressing the tube thesame may be'swung downwardly to asubstantially horizontal position as shown in Figure 6, or furtherdownwardly according to the 'wish of the operator.

thus causing a gradual winding of the tube 10 as the same is emptied.

It will be noted that the tubular structure 3 is sufficiently open atthe top to permit the action just described, and when the tube 11 has.been completely wound on the arbor 9, the pawl 14 is held disengagedmanually or by some other means and then the arbor rotated in a reversedirection until the tube has been completely unwound and removed. Thecollapsible end of a newrtube is then inserted into the slot and thearbor 9 rotated somewhat, or until the tube is properly gripped. Thepawl 14 is then released and the parts are left in a normal position, asshown in Figures 1 and 4.

When the cap of the tube is removed the con- "tents may be readilyejected by an up-and-down movement of the tube. This up and downmovement is sufficient to cause the arbor 9 to automatically rotate andwind the tube thereon, but if for any reason an additional turn or partturn is desired the thumb member 12 may be actuated at any time. Asshown in the accompanying drawing the platform 17 is swingable andautomatically returns the tube 11 to the upper position when released.However, it has been found that if the platform 1'7 is mounted in afixed position the desired results are secured, although when this isthe case the hand of the operator must swing the tube 11 back and forthas thecontents are ejected.

By the'use of the spring 20 and associated parts it is only necessary topush downwardly on the tube 11 and the spring and associated parts willautomatically return the tube after each actuation. It will be notedthat the tube 11, .which contains the matter to be ejected, acts as ahandle or lever to the device until the tube becomes completely emptied.Preferably the tubular structure 3 is made of an ample length to taketubes of different sizes so that tubes dispensing various f materialsmay be readily used in connection with the device, as, for instance,tooth paste tubes, shaving cream tubes or tubes adapted to dispenseother matter.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible tube reel including a base, a rotatable arbor, meansfor rotatably supporting said arbor, said arbor having a slot for thereception of one end of a collapsible tube, means for normallypreventing rotation of said arbor in one direction while permittingrotation in the opposite direction, said tube through the end extendinginto said slot beingadapted to be used as a lever for rotating saidarbor in one direction as the tube is swung ina given direction and thenadapted to be wound around said arbor whn swung in the oppositedirection, said arbor being held by said rotating preventing means whilethe tube is being swung in said opposite direction, and means coactingwith the arbor for causing the tube to collapse to a certain extent uponeach movement thereof.

2. A collapsible'tube reel including a rotatable arbor, means forsupporting said arbor, a pawl and ratchet associated with said arbor forpreventing the arbor from normally moving in one direction, said arborhaving a slot therein adapted to receive one end of a collapsible.tubewhich is to be wound on one end of the arbor, and a compressionplatform spaced from said arbor but extending substantially parallelthereto, means at one end of the platform forrotatably mounting theplatform parallel to the said; arbor, andin spaced relation therewithsaid collapsible tube being adapted to swing back and forth whereby saidarbor will be intermittently moved in a rotary direction for windingsaid tube while said tube. will be intermittently pressed against saidplatform for producing a collapsing action of the tube so as to ejectsome of the contents therefrom. v

3. A collapsible tube reel including a support, a rotatable shaftcarried by said support and provided with a slot for receiving one endof the tube to be collapsed, means for normally preventing rotation ofsaid shaft in one direction while permitting free rotation in theopposite direction, said tube through the end extending into said slotbeing adapted to be used as a lever for rotating said shaft in onedirection as the tube is swungin a given direction and then adapted tobe swung around said shaft when swung in the opposite direction, saidshaft being held against rotation by said means during the movement ofsaid tube in said opposite direction, and a swingable platformpositioned to be engaged by said tube when the same is swung in adirection for winding the same around said shaft, and spring means forswinging said platform and tube in a; reverse direction when the tubehas been released.

4. A collapsible tube reel including a base, a supporting member carriedby said base formed with a tubular structure having a pair of aperturedend plates, a rotatable shaft extending through said end plates, saidshaft provided with a slot for receiving the end of a tube to becollapsed, a thumb member connected with one end of said shaft forrotating the same, means connected with the other end of said shaft forpreventing rotation of said shaft in one direction, an auxiliary shaftrigidly connected to said end plates, a swingable compression platformswingably mounted on said last mentioned shaft, and a spring continuallyacting on said compression platform for giving the same a tendency toswing in a given direction.

5. A collapsible tube reel including a rotatable shaft formed with aslot for receiving the end of a tubeto be collapsed, said tube adaptedto be wound around the shaft as it is collapsed, means for rotatablysupporting said shaft, a pawl and ratchet structure for preventing therotation of said shaft in one direction whereby when the tube is swungin a circumferential path the same will be wound around theshaft to anextent equal to the arc to which the tube has been swung, and resilientmeans automatically swinging the tube back to its starting point.

6. A collapsible tube reel including a base, a support carried by saidbase formed with a, tu-

bular structure having a pair of aperturedend plates, a shaft extendingthrough said apertured end plates, means for preventing said shaft fromrotating in one direction, said shaft having a slot for receiving oneend of a tube to be collapsed and wound onthe shaft, a second shaftrigidly secured to said end plates, a hollow compression platformrotatably mounted on said second shaft, said platform having aprojecting lug, said; tubular structure having a lug coacting with thelug on said platform for limiting, the swingingmovement of the 1platform in one direction and a spring arranged principally within theplatform tending to urge the platform to one of its extreme positions. IN A BYHQ SM TH...

